Recipe doctor: Substituting butter, milk lightens up rich rigatoni

Dear Recipe Doctor: I made a very rich but wonderful dish by Giada De Laurentiis for Baked Rigatoni with Béchamel Sauce. It was too rich for us and I would only trust you to lighten it.

A: When you said “very rich,” you weren’t kidding! For six servings the recipe calls for a stick of butter, a quart of whole milk, a cup of fontina cheese, a half-pound of prosciutto and it’s all topped with 3 more tablespoons of butter. Are you ready for the totals? A serving adds up to 823 calories, 45 grams fat and 25 grams saturated fat.

I made a lighter rendition by using 1/4 cup of a less-fat margarine with plant sterols (like Take Control) or whipped butter and fat-free half-and-half for the sauce instead of a cube of butter and 4 cups of whole milk. I still used a cup of fontina cheese but I used half as much prosciutto (4 ounces instead of 8). I switched to a higher fiber whole wheat or whole-wheat blend pasta and completely eliminated the 3 tablespoons of butter used to dot the top of the pasta dish before baking. The original recipe calls for salt, but I eliminated this since the prosciutto surely contributes plenty of sodium into the mix.

You’ve now cut the calories by more than a third and the total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol is reduced by two-thirds.

Light Baked Rigatoni with Béchamel Sauce

1 pound dry whole wheat or whole-wheat blend rigatoni noodles (rotelle can be substituted)

Béchamel Sauce:

1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons Wondra quick-mixing flour or white flour

4 cups fat-free half-and-half (low-fat milk can also be used), divided use

1/4 cup less-fat margarine with plant sterols (8 grams of fat per tablespoon) or whipped butter

Two pinches fresh ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon white pepper (more to taste optional)

1 cup shredded fontina cheese, firmly packed, divided use

4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, trimmed of any visible fat and julienned (about 1 cup)

1/3 cup finely chopped red bell pepper or fresh parsley (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Coat a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with canola or olive oil cooking spray.

In a very large saucepan or stockpot, bring about 6 quarts of water to a boil. Add the dry pasta and cook just to al dente (slightly tender). Drain noodles in colander and return the noodles to the large pot.

Meanwhile, when pasta is boiling, add flour to a 4-cup measure and whisk in 1 cup of the fat-free half-and-half to make a smooth paste. Add margarine or whipped butter to a 2-quart nonstick saucepan and melt over medium heat. Pour in the remaining fat-free half-and-half and then stir in the flour mixture. Continue stirring and cooking the sauce over medium heat until it is at a gentle boil. Reduce heat to keep it at a gentle boil (or strong simmer). Cook and stir until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 2 minutes). Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the nutmeg, half of the fontina cheese, all of the prosciutto and white pepper (add more white pepper to taste if desired.)

Pour sauce into large pot with drained noodles and mix well. Place noodle and sauce mixture in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle remaining fontina cheese over the top and bake until the sauce is bubbling and the top is golden brown (about 25 minutes).

Before serving, garnish the top with a sprinkling of finely chopped red bell pepper or fresh parsley if desired.

Yield: 6 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving (if whipped butter is used): 524 calories, 14 grams fat (8 grams saturated fat, 24 percent fat calories) 28 g protein, 74 g carbohydrate, 54 milligrams cholesterol, 7 grams fiber, 644 milligrams sodium. Weight Watchers points = 10